My birthday came around recently and Dan gave me two wonderful presents: a night out for us in the future, and a great dinner on my actual birthday. We get that night out tomorrow night, so it got me thinking about the great dinner he made. A steak house feast made right at home after the kids went to bed. And wine. Amazing wine. Yummmmm.

Steak houses have an advantage over the home cook because they have special ovens that cook steaks at temperatures you and I could never replicate at home. That’s part of what makes their steaks so darn good. That and great cuts of meat that we also don’t have access to in the regular grocery store.

My secret weapon to get closer to that steakhouse experience is balsamic vinegar. Marinating the steaks in balsamic tenderizes the meat, making it ridiculously luscious. And the sugar in the vinegar caramelizes on the grill helping create that great crust that I used to think you could only get at a steak house.

For this meal, Zinfandel from Sonoma is a great choice. Bold and jammy, it stands up great to grilled foods. With all of the money you saved doing the cooking for yourself, I think you deserve to splurge on a really good one.

With Gourmet Daddy doing the cooking, mommy gets the full steakhouse experience right at home!